This guide provides an overview of the most significant issues anddebates in Gothic studies. Provides an overview of the most significant issues and debatesin Gothic studies. Explains the origins and development of the term Gothic. Explores the evolution of the Gothic in both literary andnon-literary forms, including art, architecture and film. Features authoritative readings of key works, ranging fromHorace Walpole?s The Castle of Otranto to Bret EastonEllis?s American Psycho. Considers recurrent concerns of the Gothic such as persecutionand paranoia, key motifs such as the haunted castle, and figuressuch as the vampire and the monster. Includes a chronology of key Gothic texts, including fictionand film from the 1760s to the present day, and a comprehensivebibliography.